Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whomever it May Concern:

I am writing this letter to appeal to withdraw from the course GPHY 227. I was unable to withdraw from the course earlier because I suffer from anxiety and this sometimes interferes in my ability to make sound, timely decisions. There are two predominant symptoms of my recurring anxiety: one is the inability to make a decision and the other is to feel overwhelmed and paralyzed by what feels like unmanageable circumstances. At the end of October, I made several appointments with academic advisors and counsellors as I was struggling with my anxiety and with decisions over my program, specifically whether or not to decrease my workload. In the end, I was unable to make a decision about anything, and used avoidance as my coping strategy. I thought I could manage. I realize now that I needed to reduce my course load in order to manage my anxiety.

The course GPHY 227 suffered in particular because I was spreading myself too thin in my academics. My mental health was not stable and in order for me to have any success in other courses, one of them had to fall by the wayside. Unfortunately it happened to be this one.

When I began at Queens last year, I submitted medical to Disability Services. In this note my physician stated that I had been under her care for anxiety for several years. Disability Services has granted me additional time on exams as a result. I continue to be under her care, and I take Cipralex and Concerta to manage my mental health.

Thank you for considering my appeal to withdraw from GPHY 227 after the deadline.

Sincerely,

Hayley Kaskens-Edwards